diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/sysml/hops/QuaternaryOp.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/sysml/hops/QuaternaryOp.java
index bfbaae7ec00..6395d6a2fc2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/sysml/hops/QuaternaryOp.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/sysml/hops/QuaternaryOp.java
@@ -59,7 +59,6 @@
  */
 public class QuaternaryOp extends Hop implements MultiThreadedHop
 {
-
 	//config influencing mr operator selection (for testing purposes only) 
 	public static boolean FORCE_REPLICATION = false;
 	
@@ -321,7 +320,7 @@ private void constructCPLopsWeightedSquaredLoss(WeightsType wtype)
 		setLops( wsloss );
 	}
 
-	private Lop obtainlU(Hop U, Hop V, boolean cacheU, double m1Size) throws HopsException, LopsException {
+	private Lop constructLeftFactorMRLop(Hop U, Hop V, boolean cacheU, double m1Size) throws HopsException, LopsException {
 		Lop lU = null;
 		if (cacheU) {
 			// partitioning of U for read through distributed cache
@@ -331,28 +330,26 @@ private Lop obtainlU(Hop U, Hop V, boolean cacheU, double m1Size) throws HopsExc
 				lU = new DataPartition(lU, DataType.MATRIX, ValueType.DOUBLE,
 						(m1Size > OptimizerUtils.getLocalMemBudget()) ? ExecType.MR : ExecType.CP,
 						PDataPartitionFormat.ROW_BLOCK_WISE_N);
-				lU.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(U.getDim1(), U.getDim2(), getRowsInBlock(), getColsInBlock(),
-						U.getNnz());
+				lU.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(U.getDim1(), U.getDim2(), getRowsInBlock(), getColsInBlock(), U.getNnz());
 				setLineNumbers(lU);
 			}
-		} else {
+		}
+		else {
 			// replication of U for shuffle to target block
 			Lop offset = createOffsetLop(V, false); // ncol of t(V) -> nrow of V determines num replicates
 			lU = new RepMat(U.constructLops(), offset, true, V.getDataType(), V.getValueType());
-			lU.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(U.getDim1(), U.getDim2(), U.getRowsInBlock(), U.getColsInBlock(),
-					U.getNnz());
+			lU.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(U.getDim1(), U.getDim2(), U.getRowsInBlock(), U.getColsInBlock(), U.getNnz());
 			setLineNumbers(lU);
-
+			
 			Group grpU = new Group(lU, Group.OperationTypes.Sort, DataType.MATRIX, ValueType.DOUBLE);
-			grpU.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(U.getDim1(), U.getDim2(), U.getRowsInBlock(), U.getColsInBlock(),
-					-1);
+			grpU.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(U.getDim1(), U.getDim2(), U.getRowsInBlock(), U.getColsInBlock(), -1);
 			setLineNumbers(grpU);
 			lU = grpU;
 		}
 		return lU;
 	}
 
-	private Lop obtainlV(Hop U, Hop V, boolean cacheV, double m2Size) throws HopsException, LopsException {
+	private Lop constructRightFactorMRLop(Hop U, Hop V, boolean cacheV, double m2Size) throws HopsException, LopsException {
 		Lop lV = null;
 		if (cacheV) {
 			// partitioning of V for read through distributed cache
@@ -362,27 +359,24 @@ private Lop obtainlV(Hop U, Hop V, boolean cacheV, double m2Size) throws HopsExc
 				lV = new DataPartition(lV, DataType.MATRIX, ValueType.DOUBLE,
 						(m2Size > OptimizerUtils.getLocalMemBudget()) ? ExecType.MR : ExecType.CP,
 						PDataPartitionFormat.ROW_BLOCK_WISE_N);
-				lV.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(V.getDim1(), V.getDim2(), getRowsInBlock(), getColsInBlock(),
-						V.getNnz());
+				lV.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(V.getDim1(), V.getDim2(), getRowsInBlock(), getColsInBlock(), V.getNnz());
 				setLineNumbers(lV);
 			}
-		} else {
+		} 
+		else {
 			// replication of t(V) for shuffle to target block
 			Transform ltV = new Transform(V.constructLops(), HopsTransf2Lops.get(ReOrgOp.TRANSPOSE), getDataType(),
 					getValueType(), ExecType.MR);
-			ltV.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(V.getDim2(), V.getDim1(), V.getColsInBlock(), V.getRowsInBlock(),
-					V.getNnz());
+			ltV.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(V.getDim2(), V.getDim1(), V.getColsInBlock(), V.getRowsInBlock(), V.getNnz());
 			setLineNumbers(ltV);
-
+			
 			Lop offset = createOffsetLop(U, false); // nrow of U determines num replicates
 			lV = new RepMat(ltV, offset, false, V.getDataType(), V.getValueType());
-			lV.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(V.getDim2(), V.getDim1(), V.getColsInBlock(), V.getRowsInBlock(),
-					V.getNnz());
+			lV.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(V.getDim2(), V.getDim1(), V.getColsInBlock(), V.getRowsInBlock(), V.getNnz());
 			setLineNumbers(lV);
-
+			
 			Group grpV = new Group(lV, Group.OperationTypes.Sort, DataType.MATRIX, ValueType.DOUBLE);
-			grpV.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(V.getDim2(), V.getDim1(), V.getColsInBlock(), V.getRowsInBlock(),
-					-1);
+			grpV.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(V.getDim2(), V.getDim1(), V.getColsInBlock(), V.getRowsInBlock(), -1);
 			setLineNumbers(grpV);
 			lV = grpV;
 		}
@@ -464,8 +458,8 @@ private void constructMRLopsWeightedSquaredLoss(WeightsType wtype)
 				setLineNumbers(grpW);
 			}
 
-			Lop lU = obtainlU(U, V, cacheU, m1Size);
-			Lop lV = obtainlV(U, V, cacheV, m2Size);
+			Lop lU = constructLeftFactorMRLop(U, V, cacheU, m1Size);
+			Lop lV = constructRightFactorMRLop(U, V, cacheV, m2Size);
 
 			//reduce-side wsloss w/ or without broadcast
 			Lop wsloss = new WeightedSquaredLossR( 
@@ -613,8 +607,8 @@ private void constructMRLopsWeightedSigmoid( WSigmoidType wtype )
 			grpX.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(X.getDim1(), X.getDim2(), X.getRowsInBlock(), X.getColsInBlock(), X.getNnz());
 			setLineNumbers(grpX);
 
-			Lop lU = obtainlU(U, V, cacheU, m1Size);
-			Lop lV = obtainlV(U, V, cacheV, m2Size);
+			Lop lU = constructLeftFactorMRLop(U, V, cacheU, m1Size);
+			Lop lV = constructRightFactorMRLop(U, V, cacheV, m2Size);
 
 			//reduce-side wsig w/ or without broadcast
 			Lop wsigmoid = new WeightedSigmoidR( 
@@ -757,8 +751,8 @@ private void constructMRLopsWeightedDivMM( WDivMMType wtype )
 			grpX.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(X.getDim1(), X.getDim2(), X.getRowsInBlock(), X.getColsInBlock(), X.getNnz());
 			setLineNumbers(grpX);
 
-			Lop lU = obtainlU(U, V, cacheU, m1Size);
-			Lop lV = obtainlV(U, V, cacheV, m2Size);
+			Lop lU = constructLeftFactorMRLop(U, V, cacheU, m1Size);
+			Lop lV = constructRightFactorMRLop(U, V, cacheV, m2Size);
 
 			//reduce-side wdivmm w/ or without broadcast
 			Lop wdivmm = new WeightedDivMMR( grpW, lU, lV, grpX, 
@@ -919,8 +913,8 @@ private void constructMRLopsWeightedCeMM(WCeMMType wtype)
 			grpX.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(X.getDim1(), X.getDim2(), X.getRowsInBlock(), X.getColsInBlock(), -1);
 			setLineNumbers(grpX);
 
-			Lop lU = obtainlU(U, V, cacheU, m1Size);
-			Lop lV = obtainlV(U, V, cacheV, m2Size);
+			Lop lU = constructLeftFactorMRLop(U, V, cacheU, m1Size);
+			Lop lV = constructRightFactorMRLop(U, V, cacheV, m2Size);
 
 			//reduce-side wcemm w/ or without broadcast
 			Lop wcemm = new WeightedCrossEntropyR( grpX, lU, lV, eps.constructLops(),
@@ -1076,8 +1070,8 @@ private void constructMRLopsWeightedUMM( WUMMType wtype )
 			grpX.getOutputParameters().setDimensions(X.getDim1(), X.getDim2(), X.getRowsInBlock(), X.getColsInBlock(), X.getNnz());
 			setLineNumbers(grpX);
 
-			Lop lU = obtainlU(U, V, cacheU, m1Size);
-			Lop lV = obtainlV(U, V, cacheV, m2Size);
+			Lop lU = constructLeftFactorMRLop(U, V, cacheU, m1Size);
+			Lop lV = constructRightFactorMRLop(U, V, cacheV, m2Size);
 
 			//reduce-side wumm w/ or without broadcast
 			Lop wumm = new WeightedUnaryMMR( 
@@ -1254,7 +1248,7 @@ protected long[] inferOutputCharacteristics( MemoTable memo )
 					MatrixCharacteristics mcW = memo.getAllInputStats(getInput().get(0));
 					ret = new long[]{mcW.getRows(), mcW.getCols(), mcW.getNonZeros()};	
 				}
-				if( _baseType == 1 || _baseType == 3 ) { //left (w/ transpose or w/ epsilon)
+				else if( _baseType == 1 || _baseType == 3 ) { //left (w/ transpose or w/ epsilon)
 					MatrixCharacteristics mcV = memo.getAllInputStats(getInput().get(2));
 					ret = new long[]{mcV.getRows(), mcV.getCols(), -1};
 				}
@@ -1329,24 +1323,26 @@ public void refreshSizeInformation()
 					Hop inW = getInput().get(0);
 					setDim1( inW.getDim1() );
 					setDim2( inW.getDim2() );
-					setNnz( inW.getNnz() );	
+					setNnz( inW.getNnz() );
 				}
 				else if( _baseType == 1 || _baseType == 3 ){ //left (w/ transpose or w/ epsilon)
 					Hop inV = getInput().get(2);
 					setDim1( inV.getDim1() );
-					setDim2( inV.getDim2() );				
+					setDim2( inV.getDim2() );
+					setNnz( -1 ); //reset
 				}
 				else { //right
 					Hop inU = getInput().get(1);
 					setDim1( inU.getDim1() );
-					setDim2( inU.getDim2() );	
+					setDim2( inU.getDim2() );
+					setNnz( -1 ); //reset
 				}
 				break;
 			}
 			
 			default:
 				break;
-		}	
+		}
 	}
 	
 	@Override